Supreme Court agrees to hear plea of Ashoka University professor against arrest
Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested for his remarks on social media about India's ‘Operation Sindoor.’
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to urgently hear a petition filed by Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad against his arrest over controversial social media posts about Operation Sindoor's media briefing.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Mahmudabad, mentioned the matter before a Supreme Court bench. The top court will hear Ashoka University professor's plea in the next two days.
Mahmudabad was arrested for his remarks on social media about India's ‘Operation Sindoor’ against terror groups based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The action was taken on a complaint by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader. The arrest came days after the Haryana State Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of his comments.
In a notice, the commission stated that his remarks undermined women officers in the Indian armed forces and fomented communal discord.
What did the arrested Ashoka University professor say about Op Sindoor?
Mahmudabad had described the initial media briefings on ‘Operation Sindoor’ by women officers -- Col Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh -- as “optics” and “just hypocrisy”.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh had held media briefings along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Operation Sindoor, India's military action against terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"I am very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureishi, but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP's hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens. The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it's just hypocrisy,” an excerpt from his post read.
Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, 42, currently heads the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana.
He was taken into custody based on a complaint filed by Yogesh Jatheri, general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha in Haryana.
Mahmudabad is a poet, writer, and commentator on contemporary political issues. He briefly entered politics, joining the Samajwadi Party in 2017. He is married to the daughter of Haseeb Drabu, a former minister in Jammu and Kashmir.
